A F(r)iend in the Foe — AsaSaku
by s-cocoaphobia
Summary: Could reality and the subconscious ever co-exist alongside each other? But if both sides of consciousness wage in an ever perpetual conflict... Could Sakura be able to save herself? [ England x fem!Japan. ]
1. Prologue

Desperate gasps for air escaped the mouth of the petite woman. Her crimson eyes flickered a silent flare, glowing red orbs hunting the surrounding area for any hints of the mischievous, malevolent being that continued to pursue her.

A thick, rogue laughter reverberated in the dark, dank halls, but its bearer was nowhere to be seen.

"Are you really that so desperate, Sakura…?" a heavily accented English voice called out to her from the darkness.

The girl spun around, and around, carefully guarding her back, all the while searching the room for any signs of the malicious man to whom the voice belonged. She grumbled in annoyance, clutching her naginata tightly in her one hand.

"Oh, but dear, haven't you ever learnt yet…?" the voice said in a mocking tone. "You know I never liked showing myself."

In a split second, Sakura found herself pinned to the ground, unable to get up despite her futile efforts. She struggled beneath the grasp and the weight of the evidently more heavier, taller man, who seemed keen on crushing her.

"Nnh…" she winced in pain, using the long handle of her weapon to push back the man from her, but with no success. The man easily pushed her back onto the cold floor.

"My, my…" the man continued to mock, a smirk curving up his lips, baring his fangs. "No matter how many lessons I taught you… you never really learn, do you…?" He leaned in closer, opening his mouth, as if to slowly devour the life out of the hapless, helpless girl.

She screamed.


	2. Chapter 1

Sakura sat up straight in her bed, screaming, clutching the sides of the pillow she had once been hugging tightly against her chest. Pained breaths escaped her mouth, as if she was running extremely low on a supply of oxygen.

She let out another scream, this time lower than the first, doing so just for the sake of concluding that she was, indeed, truly awake. She narrowed her eyes at what lay before her, turning her head and looking around the room.

She was back in her bedroom.

_'__Thank God…'_ she managed to mumble silently. She wasn't quite so sure afterwards to what god she should especially be thanking, but at that moment it didn't seem to matter. She was just simply glad that she never really had been out of this small, safe haven. _'Just another bad dream…_' she concluded, pushing her sheets aside and bringing herself to the front of the mirror.

Her hair was an awful, terrible mess. She decided that it was mostly because of the recent terrible nightmares she has been having as of late—plus that, and perhaps the lack of sleep. The eye bags beneath her eyes weren't quite so prominent, but to her they were still quite visible. Perhaps she'd just have to put on a dab of concealer.

It took her longer than usual to get dressed today. It was as if some sort of invisible spirit was muttering in her ear to 'avoid the outdoors'—all the while trying to tie her legs within the confines of her house. Perhaps it was mere laziness, or her slight dislike for the crowds. She never really was a people person, after all—she often found large numbers of people to be quite tiring.

Nevertheless, she got herself out of the house, despite all the negating forces trying to prevent herself from doing so. Besides, it seemed to be quite a nice day to at least catch some fresh air—the sun seemed to be quite so promising, and the sky in entirety seemed to foretell a chance of no downpour. She shrugged aside all thoughts of negativity that seemed to pervade her mind, and took a slightly cautious, slightly hesitant step outside. _'So far, so good…'_ she told herself, as if she was the man who took a step on the moon.

Though she herself agreed that it wasn't really the best day to spend snuggled indoors, she seemed to be attracted to the bookstore that adorned a particular section of the city that she lived in. Though bookstores were technically some sort of indoors in the great outdoors, she concluded that they were, nevertheless, located quite far from her own home, and decided it would be best if she were to stay at least perhaps an hour or so inside the warm ambiance of a thousand books.

Spotting one in the corner of her eye, she turned around and walked towards it—not hastily, but not slowly, either. She wouldn't want to look overexcited in the thought of staying inside a store for a prolonged time.

Sakura never once had cast her glance towards the darkening sky above—her view was obstructed by the many buildings that rose up from the ground, and her eyes were set on the store itself.

Perhaps she had never noticed it, but she had indeed been walking in quite a hurry, bumping into a few people as she made her way across the street. Though, of course, given her gentle nature, she would give a small, quick apology. She was nearly reaching the last leg of what seemed like a long race of crossing the street when she ran into a taller man.

"Ow… I-I'm sorry…" she quickly mumbled, apologizing profusely in her language, and taking an apologetic bow.

"…i-it's alright, I suppose it was quite my fault as it was yours."

The voice made Sakura perk her head up. She blinked twice, somewhat unable to believe the existence of the person who was standing just before her.

Soft, slightly ruffled blonde hair, deep, dark green eyes, the thick eyebrows… the height, the build.

The voice.

It was the man—the strange being—from her dreams.

She raised an eyebrow in confusion and fright, cocking her head slightly to a side.

This man had such a striking resemblance to that person who so belonged in her dreams—her haunting nightmares…

Yet there still seemed to be something off about him…

Ah, she knew what it was.

The man in her dreams often had an evil grin plastered on their mischievous face, baring long, sharp fangs that seemed to threaten her existence.

The man before her, though, wore a frown instead of a smirk.

Perhaps it was just her, but this man, albeit his somewhat unwelcoming facial expression, seemed more softer than that wicked creature wrought from her nightmares…

"I-Is there something wrong, Miss…?"

His voice had, once again, knocked Sakura out of her thoughts.

"Is there something on my face…?" he asked, gesturing to his face, his frown worsening.

Sakura shook her head and smiled apologetically. _'A foreigner…_' she had just then remembered. She should be more careful when deciding to use her own language—they mightn't be able to understand it. "There's nothing on your face, sir…-" she replied, trying to widen the smile on her face. _'I just happened to get lost in my thoughts…'_

The man seemed to lean back, sighing in what she thought was relief. "…for a moment I thought there was…" he mumbled quietly to himself.

Sakura took a quick glance at the bookstore across the street. It seemed so distant now—she felt like she had betrayed it to somewhat gain the acquaintance of what might possibly be a dangerous stranger.

The man turned back to her, this time smiling warmly. "Again, I apologise for having had hindered you from going to wherever you are to go," he said, nodding his head lightly. She shook her head. "I-It's not a problem—No problem at all."

As soon as she had said those words, the man quickly shot his glance up at the sky, the frown returning on his features. "Oh, no…" he mumbled audibly.

Sakura could only tilt her head in question to his actions. "I-Is there something—"

"Quick, we have to get out of here—the rain's about to fall," he remarked. Without another word, he grabbed Sakura's wrist, pulling her out of the crowd, and looking for a place to take shelter in.

She didn't know why, but she allowed herself to be dragged around. Though his fabricated memories in her dreams seemed to prove him to be quite a dangerous person, she decided to trust this person quickly. She ran with him as the rain began to pour, matching his long strides with her short, yet quick, ones.

"By the way, what did you say your name was…?" the man asked her, never even once looking back at her as he guided her along the streets.

Sakura blinked, hesitantly wanting to tell the answer.

"Sakura Honda."


	3. Chapter 2

The pair had managed to come across a small, quaint café a little further down the street. By the time they had entered, both were soaked wet—Sakura would have been more soaked had the man not offered her his coat for a makeshift umbrella. It was cold outside, especially due to the rains and the chilly winds that accompanied it. Yet all thoughts of the cold were drowned out by the seemingly perpetual warmth that the café seemed to give. Even the chilly winds were soon replaced by the smooth, welcoming scents that wafted inside the small shop.

There were dozens upon dozens of cakes and other pastries on display, and the menu was just hanging on the ceiling behind the counter, listing out the names of the available drinks.

Both of them walked silently towards the counter. The taller man, towering over the small figure of Sakura, glanced down at her with a thick eyebrow raised. "So," he began. "Anything you would want…?"

Sakura vaguely nodded her head, avoiding eye contact with the man and instead redirecting her gaze towards the pastry display. "…perhaps I'll just get a strawberry shortcake…" she said quietly, reaching into her small bag to get her wallet. When she was about to hand the money over to the cashier, the man grabbed her hand, making her stop almost immediately.

"Don't," he told her. "Don't. It's alright. I got this—I dragged you into all these, anyway." He took out his own wallet, handing over his money to the cashier, who simply took it and returned the change. He smiled sheepishly at her. "No need to be abashed. Like I've mentioned, I owe you for getting you into this mess."

Sakura stared at him for a few moments, before letting out a smile on her own. "Alright," she told him, her voice nearly a whisper.

In the end, they chose a table at the far corner of the café. Though there technically were no other customers besides themselves, they thought it necessary to sit at the furthest table so they would have a more private conversation.

"Aren't you going to get anything for yourself…?" Sakura asked politely, a small frown forming on her face. "I-I mean, I appreciate the gesture of you buying something for me, but… aren't you going to get something for yourself…?"

The man shook his head, his tousled hair moving along. "No, no, as I've said, I'm completely fine—No need to worry about me. Just go along and enjoy your cake."

_'__He seems quite kind… to be honest,'_ Sakura thought, taking occasional glances at the other whilst taking a few small, dainty bites from her cake. Was he really the man in his dream, she wondered? When she put it that way, it sounded as if she was a hopeless romantic, claiming that 'the man of her dreams' had finally come to whisk her into some kind of wonderland. 'But no…' she inwardly shook her head. The man in her dreams—in her nightmares, rather—were ruthless, unkind. They were out to get her, set on killing her. The man and the one in her dreams might be strikingly similar in appearance—even down to their voices—but nothing about this man's attitudes and behaviours so far seemed to be like that of that being from her dreams. Unless this man was only trying to lure her in… no, no, she was wrong. She must be. They seemed to be really trustworthy.

She decided to take yet another quick glance at the man, trying to compare them to what she could somewhat remember of the mysterious person lurking in her subconscious shadows.

She was extremely surprised when she found the person in her dreams before her, instead of the man. In the place of a warm, slightly sheepish smile, there stood an evil, bloodthirsty grin, with deep dark emerald eyes seemingly illuminating. Even the café itself seemed to dissolve into darkness.

She shut her eyes close, wishing the face away.

"Is something wrong…?" the voice asked. But it wasn't a mocking, jeering voice—it was the voice of warmth, of concern.

Sakura opened an eye. The creature was gone, and the kind face of the stranger had returned. She sighed heavily in relief. "N-No… i-it was nothing…" she said rather weakly, smiling apologetically. "I suppose it was just a migraine… or a simple headache."

"Ah—" the man exclaimed, relieved as well. He leaned back on his chair, crossing his arms in front of him.

"I do apologise for my forgetfulness, but—would you mind if you told me your name once more? It seems that I have failed to hear during our hurry."

"Sakura Honda," Sakura answered, this time more louder than before. She took a small piece from her cake.

"Sakura Honda, is it…" the man exclaimed in slight amusement, a smile forming on his lips. "It's quite a beautiful name. It suits you very well, Miss Honda."

Sakura couldn't help but blush, feeling a sudden surge of warmth in her cheeks. "P-Please, just call me Sakura," she told him, trying to hide her face.

The man gave out an amused chuckle. "Sakura…" he repeated. "It's still quite a pleasure to have your acquaintance… even though the circumstances in which we have met aren't exactly the best." He leaned forward, propping both elbows up on the table. "As for me…" he seemed to say with a sigh, "My name's Arthur Kirkland."

Sakura looked up, staring at the stranger who now had a name. "Arthur… Arthur Kirkland…" she mumbled, trying to practice the sound of his name on her lips.

Arthur gave out yet another amused smile.

"It isn't the best of names out there, I know."

"…I think it sounds quite well…" she replied, avoiding the other's gaze. "I think it suits you well, too."

The moment then proceeded in silence, the conversation dissolving into nothing but an exchange of glances. Sakura hastily tried to finish her cake.

"I hope I haven't bothered you at all today, either…" she finally said. "You probably have an important place to go to, and instead you're stuck here with… with me…"

Arthur perked up and smiled once more. "No, no, it's alright. Please don't think of yourself as a bother—I've nothing planned for today, after all. Besides, at this moment, I'm quite certain that we've both been equally bothersome to each other, so you don't have to apologise to me for anything."

Sakura heaved a heavy sigh, but smiled. She placed her fork gently on her plate, and took a glance out the window. "The rain's already stopped…" she thought aloud.

"Oh, has it…?" Arthur remarked, taking a glance at the window as well. True enough, the numbers of people walking with an umbrella had decreased. Even the skies weren't as grey as they had been just a bit earlier.

"I suppose we both have to get going—" he stood up from his chair, and offering a hand to Sakura, who accepted the offer.

"Umm… thank you for… for all these, again…" she said with a smile, widening it more than usual. Arthur just shook her hand, which was still in his hand. "Not at all, dear Sakura."

His smile seemed so genuine.

_'__He really doesn't seem like that dangerous man from my dreams at all…'_ Sakura thought, staring at the slowly disappearing figure of the possibly English man. _'He seems to be kinder. Arthur-san is definitely kinder.'_

With one last glance back in his direction, she headed back home.


	4. Chapter 3

Sakura walked in a desolate, grey, lonely place, the heels of her boots clicking as they met with the lopsided, equally monochromous floor. Not a single breathing creature flew overhead nor walked alongside her—she was all alone in this barren, melancholic world. The sky above was a sad, hollow hue of blacks and whites, too, and the hollow buildings that were scattered all around seemed to be the only hope that this place has for decoration.

Her head turned right, and then left. The quiet rustle of the wind was the only noise she could hear, aside from her own footsteps.

Where was she…?

The place was terribly unknown to her, and yet there seemed to be an odd sense of familiarity surrounding it. Had she been here before, she wondered?

Nevertheless, she trudged on—God knows where her destination was, nor what exactly she was seeking. Her gloved hand held onto her weapon—her naginata—tightly, as if she was expecting an ambush.

Perhaps she was indeed expecting someone to attack her.

Walking in this barren, desolate land made her feel like a completely different person. All of a sudden, she felt… tougher. It felt as if she had more courage than she usually has. There wasn't even any hint of emotion in her now seemingly dull face. Her heels continued to click as she went, the scenery unchanging no matter how long she seemed to have been walking.

"…fancy seeing such a lovely face in these premises."

She spun around, quickly directing her gaze towards the owner of the mischievous-toned voice.

"I never thought that you would drop by to visit on such a lovely day, dear Sakura," the blond man said, his voice thick with mockery. Sakura watched him jump off from the slightly higher cliff the man had been standing on. He landed a few feet from her.

"Arthur…" she mumbled aloud, quite unconsciously, her now crimson eyes narrowing at him.

"My, my," the man, who now had a name, pulled his infamous smirk across his lips. "I never thought you would ever acknowledge me by my name at all, Sakura. I always thought you saw my name as something equivalent to trash."

The girl stood quietly, unmoved. She simply followed his figure with her gaze as he began to move towards her. She straightened, her grip on her naginata tightening. She knew what would possibly come next.

Arthur unsheathed his own sword, the blade glistening as the distant, invisible light reflected on its edges. The blade seemed to mirror his own grin—sharp, and dangerous. "Am I really that quite predictable, dear Sakura?" he mocked, swinging his sword in his hand. "I suppose that's forgivable. After all, our existence is to simply end the other's."

Without another word, he lunged at her, swinging the sword in his hand around furiously, desperately trying to find an opening so he could wounding her. She equally hacked away with the tip of her own weapon, blocking out his efforts of hurting her with the long handle, pushing him back whenever he got too close.

"Getting tired yet, dear Sakura?" he taunted, trying to evade the attacks that the girl would occasionally give. The girl breathed heavily—she was indeed getting tired. But, no, she would never admit that, not in front of the person who would so willingly end the pain for her. She shook her head, grumbling, and threw herself forward, trying to knock the man off balance.

Instead, she found herself struggling with her own balance. Blaming the uneven ground below her, she leapt aside, evading the other's attack by a mere centimetre. Arthur let out a chuckle. "I see how it is. You just wouldn't give up, won't you…?"

She took a step back, and another. She briefly examined the damage the other had done on her. There were nearly a hundred open cuts on both her arms, and there was a big wound on her side. Blood seemed to be gushing out—she couldn't see it quite well, given that she was wearing black. But there were a few drops of blood that were visible on her now dirtied white skirt.

The pain she knew would come never came. She ignored the wound and focused her gaze back on the other and her surroundings. Only then had she noticed that she had been backing towards a dead end.

"My, my…" she heard him say mockingly, his laughter ringing in her ears. "Who would've thought it would end like this…?"

She looked around, trying to look for a way to escape.

"There's nothing here, Sakura. You're bound to die," he called out as he walked slowly towards her, biding his time.

She shook her head defiantly. No, no… she still has to live. There must be at least a way out of here… a crevice, or something of the like. She was running out of time.

Instead of trying to figure out a way to get out of here, she took a step forward, her gloved hands tightening around her weapon once more.

"I see," Arthur said, amusement in his tone. "So you would rather fight than flee. What a stupid choice."

And with those words, he lunged towards her, swinging his sword. Sakura held her naginata forward, the tip of the blade about to meet the other.

But Arthur paused halfway, throwing aside his own weapon. Sakura could only raise an eyebrow. She lowered her arms, loosening her grip on her naginata. He fumbled in his pockets, then threw a small knife at her direction. It merely missed her by a few inches.

"I'll let you go… for now," he spoke, turning around to walk away. "You don't deserve to die… not yet. This isn't the time for it yet…" From afar, she could hear his infamous grin stretch across his face. "And besides, where's the fun in killing you when you're already weakened?"

"Run. Run now, before I change my mind."

She never ran. She simply watched him walk away, somewhat dumbfounded by his actions and sudden change of heart. _"Coward…"_ she heard herself say. _"Fool…"_

She let herself fall onto the floor, landing on her bottom. She leaned against the wall she was backing towards to a few moments earlier. She was tired.

She reexamined the many wounds that marked her body. Blood was still threatening to spill from her side, yet she still felt no pain, even if she wrapped her hand around it. She sighed, and closed her eyes.

When Sakura opened her eyes once more, she found herself back inside her room, the sunlight peeking from behind the curtains. She could hear the birds chirping and fluttering outside. It was already morning.

"…just another bad dream…" she mumbled to herself as she slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes. The sound of her own voice seemed to reassure her. "Just… just another bad dream."

How many bad dreams did she already have, and how many more are out there to haunt her…?


	5. Chapter 4

It had been nearly two weeks since Sakura and Arthur had last met. Neither of them decided to send the other a message, nor even a call― Sakura assumed that he was busy with his own business, whatever it may be. Besides, she couldn't just expect him to give her every minute of his time― they were still basically strangers, after all.

Her dreams― or her nightmares, rather― were getting worse and worse, and it even seemed as if the subconscious was threatening to overtake her reality. Whenever she woke up from one of those dreams, she would often feel far more tired than she had been before she slept. She would often see various scars on her entire body as well. Initially, she had thought that there was a malevolent spirit trying to attack her, causing the constant nightmares and the numerous, inexplicable marks on her body. But after she had repeatedly visited the temple, praying, asking whatever gods may hear to keep the spirit at bay, she decided that it was nary a supernatural occurrence― it had been her own subconscious all along, trying to pull tricks on her.

She sighed exhaustedly, taking a glance outside the window. There were a lot of people walking outside the street of her house, passing by, going about their own businesses. Perhaps she ought to go outside as well.. besides, it would be a nice change of atmosphere and scenery.

She grabbed her jacket, putting it on to hide the scars that were on her arms. The scars weren't all too visible, truth be told, but she was certain that whoever might dee them, even a stranger from afar, was sure to raise some questions.

The sun was shining brightly in the sky, but nevertheless, she brought along an umbrella― who knows if it might spontaneously rain again.

Living in one of the busiest districts in Tokyo, large crowds― especially on weekdays― were but a normal sight for her. The sidewalks were packed with office workers, clad in their dresses and suits. The coffee shops nearby were, as she had expected, all full, so there seemed to be no chance for her to enjoy the indoors in the outdoors. Instead, she walked aimlessly around the streets, trying to blend in with the crowd.

She was walking in one of th streets with a lesser amount of people, when she thought she saw a familiar sight.

A man with a tall build, and messy blond hair...

"Arthur-san...?" she began, walking faster to keep up with the man. The man― was it really Arthur?― didn't seem to hear, and he continued to walk ahead, never once looking back. He didn't seem to hasten his pace, either― yet, Sakura still found herself struggling to keep up with him.

The man entered a narrow alley between two tall buildings, momentarily disappearing from the girl's line of sight. When she had finally noticed where he had gone, though, she followed, taking slow, cautious steps. She knew it was rude to follow someone around, that people found that both immensely irritating and disturbing, but her curiosity got the better of her.

But what if the man wasn't Arthur...? What if she was just following a complete stranger around...?

"Arthur-san...?" she called out weakly, her voice nothing but a faint whisper. She clasped her hands together, clutching it tightly to her chest. She took a cautious step back, ready to flee

The man seemed to pause the moment she spoke. Perhaps it was indeed Arthur.

But, no... knowing him, he wouldn't look so taken aback, nor would he continue to ignore her, as this man seemed to do. Sakura took another step back, suddenly wary.

"...I'm surprised to find you here, dear Sakura."

_That voice._

That familiar, haunting, malicious voice. She knew that voice all too well. It didn't belong to Arthur, she knew... and yet, it seemed to belong to him, all in the same.

Without giving her another second to think twice, the man spun around on his heels, revealing a face full of mischief and a grin full of malice.

_That face._  
><em>I know who he is.<em>

The moment he turned around to face her, the skies darkened to a deep grey, and all the surrounding buildings crumbled, leaving behind desolate shells in their wake. Soon enough, even the ground beneath her transformed into a monochromatic colour.

_'It's not me,'_ she screamed in her thoughts. '_It's not me― you've got the wrong person...'_ As much as she wanted to yell out these words, nothing came from her mouth, even if she opened them― not even the slightest hint of a sound came out. She coughed, her legs suddenly weakening.

"I never thought that I would see you in there, Sakura," he laughed mockingly, taking a few steps forward. "Trying to breach into _their _world, eh? So desperate to become one of them..." He shook his head. "Such a desperate little girl you are."

_'But I am one of them...' _she argued in her mind, causing her to furrow her eyebrows._ 'I live in that world... I am one of...'_ **_Them_**. She felt so confused.

Her eyes tried to plead with them, giving a silent glare, asking them to let her go. But the man only grinned more.

"What happened, dear Sakura?" he jeered. "Finally surrendering...?"

Without giving her a moment's hesitation, the man lunged forward, unsheathing his blade from his side, and swinging it at her direction with equal speed.

How was she to fight back, she wondered? She took a quick glance at her now gloved hand, holding a naginata firmly in its grasp. Perhaps she could make do with this...

She raised the weapon's metallic handle to her face, merely blocking off the other's own weapon. "...give up, now..." the man whispered menacingly, his deep green eyes suddenly filled with bloodlust. "Surrender now... I promise to make it quick."

She grunted, pushing him back. He stumbled backwards, nearly falling. "…I never knew you were capable of doing that, Sakura…" he mocked, a sly grin forming on his face. "I wonder, where did you manage to get the sudden outburst of energy?"

Nothing that the man said ever registered in her mind. She was too focused on trying to flee, but it seems as if another soul was overpowering her body, taking control of it instead of her. It was as if she was locked up inside her mind, her eyes the only window outside.

The man lunged forward again, and she raised her naginata defensively, ready to attack, even if she kept telling her legs to run away. He swung his sword forward, but she dodged, moving to a side. She pointed the tip of the blade at his direction. It was her turn to attack.

She moved forward, her legs suddenly gaining speed. She swung the blade at the man, wounding him on the arm. Blood began to gush out of his white sleeves, staining the once clean cloth with a dark, reddish hue. He stumbled back, grasping his arm with his other hand, trying to stop the flow of the blood. In his desperation to attend to his wound, he threw his sword to the ground.

Sakura couldn't help but feel a twinge of both pity and hatred. Where the latter came from, she did not know, but it welled up inside her all the same. She glared at the man, her now red eyes glistening against her pale skin.

The man took a step back, suddenly forgetting his own weapon. And yet, despite his wound… he still managed to smile menacingly.

"My, my, Sakura… I never knew you could do such things…" he said, his green eyes glimmering with equal hatred and amusement.

Sakura was unamused. She narrowed her eyes, then lunged forward, running towards the man once more. She prodded him with the tip of her weapon, before slashing another wound, this time a larger one on his side. He fell backwards, cornered between the girl and a wall. Their skin bled from where she had hit him, but she pretended not to see.

"…tell me who has to surrender now."

The words escaped from her mouth, without her ever realising it. The man stared at her, grimacing, clutching his wounds tightly. Blood trickled down his fingers and his skin.

"…tell me who has to surrender now…" she repeated, this time louder. She was growing impatient, fast. And yet, the man remained silent. He hung his head low. He never would admit defeat— no, not to her. She knew that for a fact.

Out of patience, she raised her weapon, once more pointing the tip at him. "…do it, quickly," she heard him mutter nearly inaudibly beneath his pained breaths.

Remorse suddenly overtook her, but the stronger force that seemed to control her body thought otherwise. She was waging a war inside her, now— no, even after all those times this man tried to kill her… after all those nightmares she had…

She harshly thrust her weapon to the ground beside him, missing his arm by a mere centimetre. She looked at him once more with contempt as he raised his head towards her, his eyes full of confusion and bewilderment.

"…run," she told him coldly. "This time, you run. And when we meet again…"

She paused, then turned her back against him, walking away, her heels clicking as they met the grey floor. _'…I wouldn't be so kind.'_

The grey, desolate sky continued to hang overhead. Sakura had been walking for quite some time now, and although she was certain that this had been another dream…

…no. This couldn't have been a dream— it was too real, too vivid, to have been a dream.

Had she somewhat entered the realm of her subconscious…?

Was she the one who so truly breached into their world— into her subconscious world…?

A sudden overwhelming pain shot through her head, making her wince. She closed her eyes shut, falling on her knees. She tried to scream, but no sound came.

Then everything went black.


End file.
